Chapter 8: Intelligence

1. Define Test: Test is a sample of behavior.

- There are two major types of tests: Aptitude tests and Achievement Tests
- Aptitude Tests: tests that ostensibly measure potential or capacity to learn (Ex: IQ tests)
à IQ tests not only test capacity to learn but also opportunity to learn. There is no pure
aptitude test.
- Achievement Tests: tests that measure what has been learned or accomplished (Ex: class
tests)
2. Tests in America:
- Americans give more tests than most other countries.
- For many years, American focused on aptitude tests rather than achievement tests.
- Now, American are focusing on achievement tests. Why?
o To evaluate whether the students are learning a certain amount of material.
o To evaluate whether schools and teachers are doing their jobs.
3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Testing:
- Advantages:
o Identify where the students are and identify that the students need helps or
assistants.
o Identify students in Americans vs. students in other countries.
§ US isn’t doing well compare to other countries.
§ US tests most of everyone while other may test only the elite and educated
students.
- Disadvantages:
o It can be bias because depend on culture, some students have more knowledge
about some academic areas and experiences than other ones.
o Some people don’t take test very well.
o To kids, tests show how teachers see them. abuse them and also expectations on
them.

4. Evaluating Tests (#268)

To be scientifically acceptable, all psychological tests must fulfill three basic requirements:
- Reliability: refers to the stability of test scores over time

1
 à The degree to which a test produces similar scores each time it used; stability or
consistency of the scores produced by an intrusment.
- Validity: refers to how well the test measures what it is intended to measure
à The degree to which a test measures what it is intended to measure.
- Standardization: establishes the norms and uniform procedures for giving and scoring a test.
o Use the same instructions and scoring for all administrations of test.
o Develop norms to evaluate individual scores
§ Norms are established by choosing a representative sample of people
§ Give the test to this sample and use their scores as average or normal scores
§ Norms provide a basis for interpreting an individual score.

5. The measurement of intelligence is controversial

- A major issue is the definition of intelligence:
- Intelligence is measured in terms of how it is defined. However, different cultures define
intelligence in different ways.
à Americans: amount of knowledge, quick resolve problems, test, income, …

6. Intelligence:
- Intelligence is a hypothetical, abstract construct.
- It must be operationally defined. There can be many definitions.
à The global capacity to think rationally, act purposefully, profit from experience, and deal
effectively with the environment.

7. Intelligence and Basic Theories of Intelligence

7.1. Defined Intelligence: Intelligence involves the applications of cognitive skills and
knowledge to: Learn; Solve Problems; and Obtain ends valued by the individual or
culture.
7.2. Basic Theories of Intelligence: (7) Binet, Binet Test, Spearman’s theory, Spearman’s
“g”- unitary theory, two factor theory, Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence,
Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory.
7.2.1. The Binet Tests:
- Intelligence testing began with Binet in 1907 in Paris
- Binet was asked to develop a test to identify children who needed special services.

2
- Binet did not assume that what he measured was genetic or immutable (unchangeable)
- His test was called the Binet. Binet test was used to measure children intelligence.

7.2.2. The Stanford-Binet Test:

- The Binet Test was brought to the U.S. by Terman
- It became called the Stanford-Binet
- Terman believed that the test measured something genetically determined and basically
immutable
- IQ was interpreted as “smarts” in general, not only in school. (in American ways)

7.2.3. Spearman’s theory

- In the 1920s, Charles Spearman studied intelligence tests.
- He used factor analysis to see if scoring on sub-test was related
- Spearmen showed relatively high correlations on subtest scores.
- Spearmen theorized that scores on sub-tests were had a factor that underlay them all

7.2.4. Spearman’s “g” – unitary theory:

- Spearman called the underlying factor “g” or general intelligence.
- “G” represents analytical thinking.
- Spearman equated intelligence to “g”
- This theory has remained a powerful description of intelligence and is the basis of many
intelligence test.
à Spearman’s “g” – unitary theory that means all intelligence hangs together, so we can
have one score that represent intelligence.

7.2.5. Two-factor theory:

- Cattel and Horn theorized that Spearman was correct that overall general intelligence
does exist.
- They believed that there were two sub-factors to “g”
o Crystallized intelligence: Knowledge that gained through experience and education
and crystallized intelligence increase with age.
o Fluid intelligence: Reasoning on the memory when you get older and speed of
processing.

3
 § According to Cattel and Horn, fluid intelligence is independent of education;
based on Genetic and Plateaus in 20s and declines with age.
à Crystallized intelligence (gc): Knowledge and skills gained through experience
and education; gc tends to increase over the life span.
à Fluid intelligence (gf): The ability to think speedily and abstractly, and to solve
novel problems. Gf tends to decreases over the life span.
à The idea of G was criticized for the last of 40-50 year by number of
psychologists. One is Gardner.

7.2.6. Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence:

- 8 (possibly 9 independent types of intelligence)
o Linguistic
o Logical/mathematical à Some thinks
that they are just
o Spatial (understanding of space)
abilities.
o Musical à Controversial
debate
o Bodily/Kinesthetic (movement of bodies)
o Naturalistic (understanding of nature world)
o Interpersonal (understanding other people)
o Intrapersonal (understanding yourself)
o ------------------
o (Maybe) Spiritual/Existential (understanding of psychology and religion)

7.2.7. Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory

7.2.7.1. Analytical intelligence (“School smart”)
§ Awareness of own intellectual process
§ Strategies for learning
§ Knowledge acquisition
7.2.7.2. Practical intelligence (“Street smart”)
§ Adjust to the environment
7.2.7.3. Creative intelligence (really hard to measure)
§ Cope with novel situations

4
 § Relate old ideas to new

8. Intelligence and Testing:

8.1. The IQ score – not significant:
- IQ scores in the U.S. are relatively good in predicting grades in school
à Those IQ tests related to what we study in school
- IQ scores are only one predictor for school grades
8.2. Validity:
- Correlation of IQ to high school grades is about .60
- Correlation of IQ scores to college grades is .30- .50
- SAT scores correlation to grades is about .47
- IQ scores relatively well correlated to job success
- In general, those who do well on IQ tests do well in school

8.3. The major intelligence test is the Weshsler

There are different Weshsler tests for different tests for different ages. Weshler tests
divided to two part: Verbal IQ and Performance IQ.
- WAIS: adult
- WISC: school age (up to 16)
- WPPSI: preschool (4 – 6.5)
- Ex: Handout
à Verbal Subtests: such as vocabulary comprehension, and knowledge of general
information
o Information: How many senators are elected from each states? 2
§ à Related to Schooling (opportunity to learn)
o Similarities: How are computers and books alike?
§ à Both: Aptitude: Capacity to learn and related to Schooling
o Arithmetic (..): If one baseball card costs three cents, how much will five baseball
cards cost?
§ à Schooling
o Vocabulary: Define lamp
§ à Aptitude
o Comprehension: What should you do if you accidentally break a friend’s toy?